House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows said Thursday that Republicans lacked enough votes to pass a temporary funding measure to keep the federal government open beyond midnight Friday — and President Donald Trump "does not want a shutdown."
"There's not enough votes," the North Carolina Republican told Wolf Blitzer on CNN. "Negotiations are ongoing.
"Hopefully, we'll be able to reach some type of an agreement to put 218 votes in the House floor up [Thursday night]."
Legislators are debating whether to approve a continuing resolution that would keep the government open for another 30 days.
Democrats say they will not support any funding measure that does not include legislation to address the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program or for extending aid for the Children's Health Insurance Program.
The current stopgap government funding proposal includes a six-year extension for CHIP.
However, members of the conservative Freedom Caucus and some other Republicans say they will not vote for the Continuing Resolution to protest rising budget spending levels.
"I'm not in favor of that," Meadows told Blitzer of the CR. "It's time that we start the normal appropriations process once again, make sure the power in the purse rests in Congress."
A 16-day partial federal shutdown in October 2013 cost American taxpayers $1.4 billion.
Meadows also declined to specify how many other caucus members opposed the CR.
"We don't normally give out the whip count," he told Blitzer. "I can say that if there is not any Democrat support currently, there's not enough votes to get to 218 — and that's about all I'm willing to be specific on."
Meadows said he talked with Trump about the funding situation and "he does not want a shutdown.
"He wants us to go ahead and deal with the immigration issue — and, yet, he does not want to hold our military men and women hostage.
"That was the message that he reaffirmed to me.
"I don't know that I want to characterize a personal conversation I had with the president," Meadows added. "It was not a contentious phone call.
"I can say that."
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